2 Corinthians 3:6-11

Ministers of the New Testament 2 Corinthians 3:6-11: Paul was made an able minister of the New Testament. The term "Testament" refers to a covenant or an agreement. "New" has reference to being made superior to what it succeeds. In this text the New Testament is contrasted with the Mosaic covenant. The contrast was made with the words "letter" and "spirit." Both the Old Testament and the New Testament were expressed in languages that used letter. Of the Old it was said, "The Letter killeth." This was the case because it was a "law of sin and death." The Law identified sin but provided no eternal forgiveness. The Law of Moses brought only the promise of death. It was given in a glorious way in that it was carved on stone. The shinning of Moses' face was a fading glory just as the glory of the Law was to be done away or to fade away.

The Old Covenant played as important role in God's arrangement of things. However, we must recognize the superiority of the New Covenant as contrasted with the Old. The covenant written on stone was to be done away. It was a useful covenant but the New Covenant is even more wonderful. The New Covenant makes us acceptable to God. It is in the New Covenant that "the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." (Romans 1:17) When compared to the New Covenant the Old Covenant has no glory at all. The glory of the First is nothing when compared with the glory of the Second. We do well to remember that the Laws that faded away were those Laws that were written on stone!